Safety means for autogenous welding or cutting apparatus.



n.12'. BRUCKNER.l l SAFETY MEANSHFO-R AUTOGENOUS WELD'ING 0R CUTTING APPARATUS.

APPLIcATIQ man muze.' |911.

Patented May/'29 n Eu z j. @pi ffiff UnTTED sTATns PATENT OFFICE.

i RUDOLPH E. BRUCKNER, OF NEW YORK, lltl". `Y.

SAFETY IVIEANSv FOR AUTOGENOUS WELDING OR CUTTING APPARAIIIUSY.v

lie` it known that l, RUDOLPH E. BRUCK- xi-:ii,:i1'eitizei1 ot the United States of Amer, ica, residing at New York city, county. and State ot New York, have invented a new and'ii'setul Safety Means for Autogenous lifelding or Cutting Apparatus, of which trie following is a 'specilic-ationl My invention relates to gas welding or cutting apparatus and particularly to a safety apparatus therefor.

ln the accompanying drawing:

VFigure l is a conventional view of the upper part of two gas tanks operatively connected and associated with a torch, eertain parts being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a relatively enlarged sectional View on the line 2 "I, li`ig. 1.

Fie'. 3 i; a cross section on the line 23H3, Fig. 2. i i

lt should be understood at the outset, that l shall describe herein only one preferred forni and arrangement of illy in veip tion. 1 ei-inventionally represents the upper part of an acetylene tank. 2 conventionally represents the upper part of an oxygen tank.

' 3 is a pipe leading from the acetylene tank indicate the pressure in the line "of tank 2' and valve 6.

to operate at the same prei-isure.v

to a welding or cutting torch, the burner end o'l" which is iainventionally illustrated at 4. 5 represents a pipe leading from the oxygen tank to said torch. is a pressure regulating valve in the line 5, while 7 is a pressure regulating valve `in the line 3. 8 is a gage to indicate the pressure in the line 5 beyond the valve (i. E) is a. gage to 3 beyond the valve 7. 10 is a gage, to indicate the pressure in the line 5 between the interior 11 is a gage to indicate pressure in the lineC-l 4between tank 1 and valve 7. ln practice, in an a'pparatus of this character it is rare to set the pressure regulating valves (--7 so as For example, in using a torch having a relatively large welding tip one would naturally set the oxygen pressure say lin-tween twenty and thirty pounds. while he would set the maityleue pressure at pounds. llnder these conditions lonexample, il" the point olI egress ot the mixed gases troni the torch -lshould be inoinentarilyslopped or choked` the `gas in the line y' 3 or 5 which is under highest pressure Specification of Letters Patent.

between three and ten y Patented May-29,; 1917.`

Application filed January 26, 1917. Serial No. 144,611.

would force back through the other line into the other tank. For example, if the oxygen in the line 5 were at a higher pres,-y sure than the acetylene in the line 3, a stopsv page at the pointotegress from -theitore'h i wouldV cause the oxygen to .How through the' line 3 against the lower pressure past the valve and into tank 1. It is a well known Jfact that any lmixture of gases under pressure invites grave dangers, it being niueh more easy to explode a tank charged with a mixture ot' such gases under pressure than to explode the tank containing only one of said gases in a pure state under pressure. Indeed, many explosionshave occurred from a supposedly unknown "anse, some of which may be readily attributed toi this particular cause. It is my object to pre. vent this transfer ot' gas from one tank to the other, and this l accomplish by providing suitable mechanism somewhere between the interior of each of said tanks respectively and the point ot' merging of Vthe gases therefrom, which niech'anisn'i operates to i'ios-itively prevent the aforesaid action. In Fig. 2 l have shown on an enlarged sea-le a portion of the line 3.iin which figure 12 represents a cylindrical valve 'eliainbei'. This valve chamber is provided with a nip -iif'e extension 1l at one end having a passage therethrough7 the inner end of said nipple forming a valve seat. 15 is a valve mounted in the valve chamber 12,sa.id valve operating to close the passage against the [low of gas therethrough excepting to the torch. 1G isa spi-ing by which the valve15 may beessisted iii` its operation. 17 is a movable nipple which is screw threaded into the valve casing 12 and by which access may be had to the valve 15 or spring ,16. rl`l1e gas line in the main may be made' ot any flexible, tubii'ig which may be secured over the nipples 14-17. By utting the mechanism shownin Fig. 2 in t e pipe line 3, with the point of the valve 15 directed toward the tank 1 and byproviding a corresponding mechanism' at .1S in the other vpipe line 5, with the point of the valve therein directed toward the tank 2, it 'is be than the pressure in the other line, to 'v `cause a transference of gas from one tank to the other. 19-19 are stop cocks on the respective as lines 3 and 5, which may be providedi desired.

It will rbe understood is not limited to the use of any particular as or gases inv the tanks 'l and 2, but I rel `er to oxygen and acetylene as those most commonly used in this particular connection and, those in Which'grave danger lies .in the absence of the safety means disclosed What I claim is:

1. In an appa-ratus'of .the character .described, two receptacles for containing different gases under pressure a torch, flexible means of communication rom said receptaclesto said torch -the communicating passages merging, pressure regulating mechanism for regulating the relative pressure of gasin said communica-ting passages, and

lthat my invention means in said flexible communicating means to prevent the flow of gas from one tank into the other.

2. In anV apparatus of the character described,` tWo receptacles for containing dif- 2-5 ferent gases under pressure, a torch, exible means oicommumca-tion from said recep tacles to said torch the communicating passages merging, pressure regulating mechanism for regulating the relative pressure of;` 3

gas in said communicating passa-ges, and means in said flexible communicating means to prevent the flow of gas from one tank into the other, said last mentioned means comprising a cylindrical valve chamber" 35- having a passage thcrethroughfa nipple extension at each end of sald chamber and a check valve 1n said chamber.

RUDOLPH n'. BRUCKNER. 

